Uber Hits 2 Billion Rides

Uber CEO, Travis Kalanick in a Facebook post said, 147 new Uber rides started, pushing the company into the land of multi-billion rides. "These trips happened in 16 countries on five continents, from Costa Rica to Russia and from China to Australia, "The longest of the bunch lasted more than an hour as the rider and driver worked their way across Jakarta, Indonesia's capital."

Uber has exploded around the world, but its global ambitions have hit a number of roadblocks. The company has been slapped with government fines, sued by drivers, targeted in protests, and even banned outright in some cities. In India, an Uber driver was found guilty of raping a passenger.

Uber is also up against stiff competition in key, growing markets such as China and India.

But none of these challenges appear to have dimmed Uber's quest for world domination, and the company continues to grow rapidly. It took Uber five years to hit 1 billion rides, a milestone it reached last December, and a mere six months to reach the next billion.